Key Takeaways
1. The ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X handheld gaming devices will be released on October 16th.
2. Digital Foundry’s performance tests revealed that the ROG Xbox Ally X is still a work in progress and may not meet all gamers’ expectations.
3. Doom: The Dark Ages ran at around 50 FPS at 540p upscaled to 1080p, while Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 performed poorly at 27-30 FPS at 1080p.
4. Digital Foundry recommends managing expectations, as the ROG Xbox Ally X is a portable device with limited thermal design power, not a home console equivalent.
5. The performance of the ROG Xbox Ally X may improve by the release date, but current evaluations are based on pre-release software.
The first Xbox-branded handheld gaming devices, the ROG Xbox Ally and the ROG Xbox Ally X, are set to be released on October 16th. At Gamescom, various media outlets had their first experience with these portable consoles, showcasing what the new Xbox gaming experience looks like on Windows handheld devices.
Performance Insights from Digital Foundry
Digital Foundry took some time to evaluate the ROG Xbox Ally X. Their investigation into the console’s software suggested that it is still a work in progress. Known for their performance testing of games on both PC and console setups, they ran titles such as Doom: The Dark Ages and Clair Obscur Expedition 33 on the ROG Xbox Ally X. The findings, shared in the latest DF Direct, might not meet the expectations of some gamers.
Game Testing Results
DF tested Doom: The Dark Ages on the ROG Xbox Ally X at a resolution of 540p upscaled to 1080p, using low settings along with DRS and FSR 3 “Performance.” Under these conditions, the ROG Xbox Ally X was hitting around 50 FPS, which is commendable for a handheld gaming console with a limited thermal design power (TDP). The outlet pointed out that aiming for a 1080p resolution seems a tad excessive for a portable device. Aiming for a resolution of 720p would likely be more appropriate given the small 7-inch screen size.
On the other hand, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 did not perform as well as Doom: The Dark Ages. Running at 1080p with low settings and utilizing Unreal Engine 5’s Temporal Super Resolution, the ROG Xbox Ally X managed only about 27-30 FPS in the game’s initial level.
Managing Expectations
Based on this performance, DF cautioned that gamers anticipating the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X to deliver a home console experience with consistent frame rates in AAA titles “should temper their hopes.” Even with a robust Z2 Extreme APU featuring Zen 5 CPU cores and an RDNA 3.5 iGPU, the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X remains a portable gaming device with a constrained power budget.
That being said, the ROG Xbox Ally X units that DF evaluated were likely operating on pre-release software. Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising if the performance improves a little by the time the ROG Xbox Ally X is officially released. Nonetheless, this remains speculation, and we’ll need to get our hands on the console before making any final assessments.
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